The Lumine News

Category: Opinion

  • A Harvest Of Endorsements For Sandy Onor As Saturday 18 Beckons BY DOMINIC KIDZU

    A Harvest Of Endorsements For Sandy Onor As Saturday 18 Beckons BY DOMINIC KIDZU

    A HARVEST OF ENDORSEMENTS FOR SANDY ONOR AS SATURDAY 18 BECKONS

    BY DOMINIC KIDZU

    Saturday this week is going to be an unforgettable day for Cross River State as the people troop out in their numbers to cast their vote for the kind of tomorrow they want. Already, political, religious, socio-cultural and commercial interest groups have began to indicate clearly the choices they have made and the direction of their votes.

    For Senator Sandy Onor it has been a harvest of endorsements from very influential people and groups who have chosen him over and above the APC candidate. The battle cry from all who have pledged to help to crown him king has been the search for a clean break from the nightmare of the APC administration which they have disavowed as evil and retrogressive.

    They all seem to agree that a vote for Prince Otu will translate to foisting an Ayade dynasty in Cross River State through the backdoor since it was Ben Ayade’s consumptive junior brother, Frank Ayade, who single handedly chose Prince Otu as candidate and has continued to fund his campaign from the proceeds of state capture in the last eight years. Apart from Frank Ayade, huge amounts of money are also said to have been removed from the local government funds for the Ayade-Continuity-Project which they are prosecuting as a do-or-die affair.

    The Ibo union in Cross River state has endorsed Senator Sandy Onor, so has the Akwa Ibom union, two critical interest groups in the state. The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Cross River wing of National Youth Council of Nigeria, about ten other political parties, apart from the Labour Party and it’s vastly popular presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi and our quintessential former Governor, Mr Donald Duke.

    Only yesterday, ten candidates for the two seats in the House of Assembly from Calabar South, Prince Otu’s safe heaven, also joined the widely popular movement for Sandy Onor governorship. Various women groups and market associations have also adopted Senator Onor’s electrifying running mate, Emana Duke Amawhe and are rallying their members to work for her ticket.

    It is now very clear that the people have rejected the APC and what the party has come to represent under the mediocre leadership of Governor Ben Ayade who spent eight years supervising the deliberate and systemic destruction of everything the people were proud of about their dear state. Our rich forests, our tourism, our finances and all state institutions have been laid waste by a party and government that does not know when enough is actually enough.

    Now the die is cast and the people have made their choice. Even though the ruling party has continued to perfect their plans to manipulate election results by compromising INEC officials, disruption of the voting process and thuggery, the will of the people will triumph and their choices will still stand. As Donald Duke said in his endorsement video yesterday, “This Back-to-South slogan is simply just back to the status quo, back to the Ayades with one transitioning from Co-governor to the actual governor through his surrogate he single-handedly picked and has funded thus far”.

  • Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (IV)… BY AGBA JALINGO

    Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (IV)… BY AGBA JALINGO

    Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (IV)…

    Opportunity Statement

    It is on record that in the past 10 years, over N1.5trillion has been appropriated for constituency projects in Nigeria, yet the impact of such huge spending on the lives and welfare of ordinary Nigerians can hardly be seen. Peeved by the ugly development, the ICPC in May 2020, declared that it would prosecute recalcitrant legislators, who are gifted to diverting funds meant for constituency projects.

    The Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, said in an interview that the Commission, in its bid to look at the kind of corruption that affects ordinary people, would investigate the execution of constituency projects.

    While informing Buhari of this ugly development during a visit in 2020, Prof. Owasanoye told the President that: “Sir, we discovered that some agencies of government are favourites for the embedding of constituency projects irrespective of their core mandate and capacity of these agencies to deliver or supervise projects. Most notorious in this regard are the Border Communities Development Agency, and Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria.

    “Duplication of contracts with the same description, narrative, amount, location awarded by the same MDA to bring the amount allocated within approval threshold of the executing agency, or to expend allocation to sponsor of the constituency project.

    “Many of the contracts were inflated yet poorly executed. Substandard items were used against specifications in the Bill of Engineering Measurements and Evaluation thus diminishing the value of the projects to the intended beneficiaries. Many projects were also not built to specification.”

    He also pointed out that: “Empowerment and capacity building projects are very popular, but are highly prone to abuse and very difficult to track. We find that almost 50 percent of budgetary allocation to zonal intervention projects goes to these opaque activities. Empowerment items are sometimes stashed away by sponsors and not distributed till the next budget cycle while in some cases, the same items are re-budgeted and duplicated.

    “Many community members believe that sponsors pay for projects from their funds, rather than from public treasury. Thus they are beholden to the sponsor rather than claim their rights.”

    Propositions

    1. Instead of stuffing a few notes into envelopes and distributing on camera to constituents as constituency bursary intervention, why not commit such funds into starting properly managed Educational Trust Funds, open to public donations and scrutiny? This isn’t difficult. It begins with a meeting of your team of professionals and a team from the State Scholarship Board.

    2. There is an urgent need for the amendment of the Federal Scholarship law to allow sub-national scholarship boards to explore and expand their funds net and accountability feedbacks, with a view to broadening their scope of intervention. Someone has to draft that amendment.

    3. Instead of waiting for phone calls from desperate sick constituents asking for help for emergency medical bills, why not collaborate amongst the members going to the 10th NASS from Cross River State, to kick-start a subsidized health insurance scheme for vulnerable members of our communities? A pilot scheme can begin with an HMO and a hundred subscribers from each Federal Constituency and Senatorial District, mostly women of child bearing age, and expand the net there-upon. This will grow to cover other constituents over time.

    4. Instead of giving handouts to people to pay rents, can we begin to consider a legislative framework for alternative and affordable mass housing options and models for our communities? Things like, fire proof, affordable, prefabricated settlements that will solve the housing problem on a sustainable and incremental basis?

    5. Can we also begin to consider legislation that will support the building of hi-tech functional innovation and entrepreneurship clubs and centers and clubs, in our constituencies and ensure they function efficiently by challenging them to produce implementable products on realistic timelines?

    These are actually things that require discipline to do, and they tarry before maturation, and politicians generally believe that such things don’t help them to win the next election. Yet in the long run, it is the mushrooming of these structures that will solve society’s problems on a sustainable basis.

    The only person I know who ever commanded his followers to cast their burdens on him and meant what he said was, Jesus the Christ. But he was not voted into power. The people we vote cannot solve our problems by themselves. They solve them through systems and structures. Without building systems, there is little they can do on their own. That’s why they haven’t been able to solve any of our problems because they keep trying to do it through personal bank alerts and their back pockets. But they are actually meant to midwife the building of structures, systems and processes that will perpetually solve our problems, even when they leave office.

    And today, they have so pauperized us that we no longer know the difference between service and charity. But may God give us understanding to discern the difference and be able make our leaders serve us accountably.

    …. _To be continued_ …..

    Yours sincerely,
    Citizen Agba Jalingo.

  • Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (III)… BY AGBA JALINGO

    Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (III)… BY AGBA JALINGO

    Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (III)…

    Opportunity Statement

    The Obudu Dam Resort, (Not the Ranch), is a multi purpose facility that provides recreational as well as the essential commodity, water to communities around its environs.

    Located in Ukwel-Obudu, (my mother’s village), less than 10 kilometers from the Obudu central bus terminal, the dam was destroyed by flood back in 2005 according to Patriot Abohson Sunday, who works at the resort.

    “Since then, people only visit the dam during festivities like Valentine’s day and may be Christmas” he says.

    The Federal Government on Wednesday 14th August 2012, at a meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, approved the contract sum of N1.165 billion for the rehabilitation of the dam.

    Briefing State House correspondents after that particular FEC meeting, former Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Stella Ochekpe, (currently in jail for corruption), accompanied by her former Information counterpart, Labaran Maku, lamented that the dam, which has a storage capacity of 1.25 million cubic meters, had been in an awful state, thereby affecting regional urban water supply in some communities in the area.

    She said a memo was raised and submitted to the Council to enable the government of Cross River State embark on its regional urban water supply project, which will cover four communities: Obudu, Ogoja, Ikom, and Calabar.

    She further revealed that, “The Cross River State government has, since 2005, gotten an International Development Association (IDA) loan to develop the regional water scheme that will meet the needs of these communities in Cross River. But because of the state of Obudu Dam, it has been impossible for that project to commence. The contract was awarded at the cost of N1.165 billion.”

    The contract for the rehabilitation was awarded to Consolidated Construction Limited, CCL. In another development, the World Bank in collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources and the Cross River State Water Board Limited, CRSWBL contracted Lilleker Brothers Limited, LBL to construct a water treatment plant, with the second phase being the construction of reticulation channels to benefiting neighboring communities.

    When completed, the dam was expected to facilitate the irrigation of about 100 hectares of agricultural land, boost fisheries and promote tourism in the northern part of the State. Details of the contract were headlined across the country and hopes were again high that life will return to the dam in no time, though some stakeholders had cautioned residents not to be too optimistic.

    True to the caution, the contract sum was misappropriated. But the good news is that, some of the thieves, former Minister of Water Resources, Sarah Ochekpe, Evans Leo, Sunday Jitong and Raymond Dabo, are in jail, after the EFCC secured their conviction.

    *Propositions*

    1. Immediate fact finding and on-the-spot visit to the Obudu Dam site by a powerful delegation led by the Senator for Northern Cross River, Jarigbe Agom and the House of Reps Member-Elect, Peter Akpanke, and other colleagues.

    2. Immediate fact finding visit to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.

    3. Produce a public report on the current state of facilities at the dam, the state of the IDA loan, the whereabout of the FG contract money, and what is currently required to revamp the Dam.

    4. Present same to the relevant oversight committees of the NASS and lobby for urgent attention, including headlining same in the same manner the news of the contract award made headlines.

    5. Lobby the relevant committees of NASS to make adequate appropriation in the next cycle for commencement of work at the Dam.

    This effort should be led by Senator Jarigbe Agom, Peter Akpanke and all their colleagues from Cross River, going to the 10th NASS.

    Content from CrossRiverWatch/Jonathan Ugbal.

    Yours sincerely,
    Citizen Agba Jalingo.

  • Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (II)… BY AGBA JALINGO

    Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (II)… BY AGBA JALINGO

    Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (II)…

    Opportunity Statement

    In February 2017, the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology and Cross River State launched a waste-to-wealth program in Calabar. The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, laid the foundation for a plant to process waste-to-wealth at the Idundu Industrial Layout in Calabar. The project was also targeted at the production of biogas, organic waste, and feeds for aquatic culture in the State as well as create thousands of jobs and livelihoods.

    Since the ground breaking was done, the project has remained stalled. This writer reliably gathered that funds that were released for the project never made it out of Abuja and the answers to where the funds ended can best be obtained by our 10th Assembly NASS Members as part of their duties.

    Propositions

    1. As part of their oversight functions, the NASS committees both in the Red and Green chambers, that have individual or over lapping oversight roles over the Ministry of Science and Technology needs to be engaged immediately.

    2. Direct consultation and fact finding meetings to the Ministry of Science and Technology, should also be prioritized.

    3. If funding for the project wasn’t adequate, what can be done and done on time too, to ensure that the next NASS appropriation makes adequate supplement for the project?

    4. Was there anything that was supposed to be done by our own State government; failure of which is stalling the project and how can that be resolved?

    5. Having been grounded since 2017, fresh vigorous effort is required to bring it back to the front burner. Who needs to be lobbied or impressed or reminded of what they failed to do?

    This effort should be championed by Senator-Elect, Asuquo Ekpenyong Jr. at the Senate and Hon Bassey Akiba at the HoR, supported by all NASS Members from Cross River State to the 10th NASS.

    …. _To be continued tomorrow_ …

    Yours sincerely,
    Citizen Agba Jalingo.

  • Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (I) BY AGBA JALINGO

    Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (I) BY AGBA JALINGO

    Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (I).

    Opportunity Statement:

    Under Governor Ayade, the Cross River State Ministry of Solid Minerals, obtained exploration licenses for mineral resources from the federal government. The licenses included a quarry lease for granite, an exploration license for limestone, clay, and shale as well as a reconnaissance permit. This was and still remains a huge milestone because the Mineral Resources Act 2007 vests the total control and appropriation of mineral resources on the federal government. Getting the mining licenses was therefore a massive opening for our State to directly participate in the exploration of our natural endowment.

    In February 2021, the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development announced that an artisanal and small-scale mineral processing cluster will be established in Cross River State and will be completed within six months. The Minister of State, Uche Ogar, disclosed this in Calabar while he was receiving title documents for a five-hectare land donated by the Cross River State government in Yala LGA for the project. Under the project, the Federal Government was to embark on infrastructural development within the cluster area such as a barite processing plant, mining equipment leasing bay, training center, warehouse, and office complex among other amenities, that can potentially create over 10,000 direct jobs.

    *Some Oversight Suggestions:*

    1. Can the Mineral Resources Act 2007 be amended to give States increased stake and access to their mineral resources? If it can, an amended bill should be drafted immediately.

    2. What is the strategy for engaging with lawmakers from Ogun, Kogi, and other mineral resource rich States, to achieve the goal of pushing the amendment through, based on shared interest?

    This collaboration based on shared interest across several States will create the robust and necessary initial buy-in for the amended bill.

    3. What is the oversight intervention required to push through with the Federal Ministry of Mines and Minerals, to make sure that the mineral processing cluster that was to be established in six months in Yala returns immediately?

    4. Who did what and who did not do what and what was left to be done on the part of our State or the FG?

    5. On whose table(s) did the files stop and to which table(s) were the files meant to go next?

    6. Who is in the NASS committee which oversights the Ministry of Mineral Resources or any other relevant committee that needs to be engaged and lobbied to ensure every bottleneck is cleared for the return of the project?

    These questions may lead to increased Appropriation to the Ministry to fast-track the project, as well as reveal the reasons the project was stalled and also provide opportunity for effective oversight.

    This should be led by Senator Jarigbe Agom, at the Senate and Hon. Godwin Offiono at the HoR and supported by all other NASS Members from Cross River who are going to the 10th NASS.

    ….. _To be continued…_

    Yours sincerely,
    Citizen Agba Jalingo.

  • Why Obono Obla And The APC HIERARCHY Are Afraid Of The Military BY DOMINIC KIDZU

    Why Obono Obla And The APC HIERARCHY Are Afraid Of The Military BY DOMINIC KIDZU

    WHY OBONO OBLA AND THE APC HIERARCHY ARE AFRAID OF THE MILITARY

    By Dominic kidzu

    Chief Obono Obla has been on overdrive since last week’s polls throwing tantrums like a baby in need of its feeding bottle. In doing so he has told dozens of lies against the PDP and the Nigerian military and is generally confirming what we already knew that the APC is scared of the coming governorship and House of Assembly polls because of its tattered performance in the two tenures of its misrule at all levels.

    Obla would like the general public to believe the ruse that it was not the government at various levels that deployed the military to give security cover on election day as has been the tradition over the years. In his wild goose chase he seems to be suggesting that a private citizen or some set of private citizens actually brought out the military on election duty nationwide.

    To remind Obono Obla, who has really not been able to return to normalcy ever since he was disgraced out of office at the federal level with accompanying embarrassing legal suits that tended to have reduced his claims to intellectual and legal high ground, no one outside the Commander In Chief of the federal republic and his military generals can move the military around the country.

    Obono Obla should recall that President Buhari, the leader of the APC and the country made an announcement just before the elections ordering the military to shoot at sight people who steal election materials or try to intimidate voters. If members of his party fell foul of this order and were duely arrested or disciplined, Obla should not go about in search of scapegoats because he will not find any.

    What Obla has inadvertently laid bare is his frustration at the capacity of the Nigerian military to deny his party members the opportunity to use cult groups, bandits and cutthroats to intimidate voters and steal electoral materials to formulate criminal and unverifiable victory. Even when a fine gentleman and level headed media man and politician in his party, Ritchie Romanus gently cautioned him against his wild scaremongering, Obla employed hack writers to insult him in a voluminous poorly written response.

    The Nigerian military is not a party in this election nor does it have a dog in the fight. Imagine what would have happened in Ugep and several other areas if military personnel were not on election duty with highly respected individuals resorting to brute force in order to win by any means necessary, even if several people were killed in the process. The military high command is advised to ignore and disregard the vituperations of Obono Obla as mere sound and fury without substance. The military will surely return on election duty on March 11, and there is nothing Obono Obla and his like can do about that.

  • Sometimes There Are Situations In Life That Only The Mountain Top Can Provide Answers BY PETER OBELE

    Sometimes There Are Situations In Life That Only The Mountain Top Can Provide Answers BY PETER OBELE

    MOUNTAIN TOP

    Sometimes there are situations in life that only the mountain top can provide answers. Both Abraham and Jesus went to the mountain top and their lives were never the same again. Jesus, with Peter, James, and John went to the mountain top to pray and the whole heavenly court was on the side of Jesus. They heard the voice of the invisible God saying, “This is my chosen Son: listen to him.” (Luke 9:35). Abraham was able to receive the blessing of being the father of all nations because he was willing to go to the mountain top (Gen. 12:1-4). Moses encountered God on the mountain, and so did Elijah. By mountain top, we are referring to that changing experience of prayer in your life that leaves you a completely different person.

    In life, we sometimes experience absurdities that fill our minds with doubts; situations that could lead us to give up the faith and at times like that we ask, “Where is God?”. For example, the just concluded election results in Nigeria left many wondering whether or not God is still in control. For some, it was nothing short of subvertion of justice that could lead to crisis. But let the will of God be done. At other times, we face crises such as terminal illnesses, breakdown of marital relationships, discord between friends and family members etc. At times like this, we feel like the whole world is collapsing right under our noses. It is precisely at times luke this we need to go up the mountain top of our prayer lives and ask God to help us see things from his own point of view

    By the time God grants us such a glimpse of his divine guidance, we will realize that all our troubles in this life are short-lived and in Gods time everything will fall into place. Then, we would have the courage to accept the apparently meaningless situations of this life, knowing well that through it all, God is not only in control, but he is on our side. All it takes is a little glimpse of heaven, to empower us to take up our crosses and follow. Find time during this lenten season to go to the mountain top. Try a programme of prayer this lent and life will never be the same again.

  • Back To South Or Back To Odukpani: Sandy Onor To The Rescue BY ELIJAH UGANI

    Back To South Or Back To Odukpani: Sandy Onor To The Rescue BY ELIJAH UGANI

    BACK TO SOUTH OR BACK TO ODUKPANI?

    As the quest for redemption of Cross River State from the shackles of maladministration continue to gain momentum with just a few days to the governorship election, where a few persons including Gov Ben Ayade, are gunning for the BACK TO SOUTH agenda, it is imperative to note that, ab initio, while adopting Sen Bassey Otu as governorship candidate and handing the Senate ticket to Asuquo Ekpenyong Jr, was ill- conceived.

    While majority of those from southern senatorial district, continue to query the rationale behind handing over both the governorship and senatorial tickets of the All Progressive Congress APC, to same local government council, Odukpani, it is more worrisome to note that with the outcome of the national assembly election last week, where the house of representatives for Calabar/Municipality federal constituency, and southern senatorial district seat were both won by two Odukpani sons, Akiba and Asuquo Ekpenyong Jr.

    Although those holding the view that the Member-Elect of the Calabar Municipal/Odukpani federal constituency is a member of Labour Party, it is important to note that it was a miscalculation to have foisted both the governorship and senatorial candidates on the APC from the same local government.

    The question that remains unanswered on the lips of the electorates is how will Odukpani local government area hold the House of representatives position, senate and governorship positions at the same time?

    Political pundits, supporters/members of the Obidient Movements, and some members of the APC, have recently expressed displeasure with the permutations of governor Ben Ayade, and called on the electorates to cast their votes wisely during the governorship election.

    To concentrate very sensitive positions in one local government area, seems to undermine the competencies of very seasoned and competent capacities to return the fortunes of the state to its lost glory.

    Sen Sandy Onor, has been around the state for many years, he understudied the administrations of both Gov Donald Duke and Sen Liyel Imoke, when Cross River State used to be positively discussed globally and will deploy the experience acquired over the years to reposition our state.

    Maybe it was the will of the Almighty, to cause voters to cast their votes in favor of Akiba and Asuquo Ekpenyong Jr, from same local government area, to expose and situate our thinking in this direction to enable us support the cause of Sen Sandy Onor to reclaim Cross River State.

    Sandy Onor is the man with the needed capacities, he understands how local government system functions, having served as Chairman of Etung Local Government Area, State Chairman of ALGON, National Vice President of ALGON and later Acting National President of ALGON. He also served as Chairman, Local Government Service Commission.

  • Cross River North Elections, Put The Blame Where It Is…BY AGBA JALINGO

    Cross River North Elections, Put The Blame Where It Is…BY AGBA JALINGO

    Cross River North Elections, Put The Blame Where It Is…

    While most people in Northern Cross River are relieved by the inability of Governor Ayade to win the Senatorial seat, some busy-bodies particularly from outside the North are whining and dwelling in obtuse dialectics about how Ayade’s appointees from his place failed him.

    Can you all please shut that narrative and shut it right away. Even after losing, there is this palpable feeling in the North that more woes should have even befallen him. Most people are like, “good riddance to bad rubbish!” People aren’t celebrating his failure in the North. They are enraged. It’s a decision they had long made; to reject him and they just wanted a violence free election so they can do that and they did. Yet they are still angry at him.

    What exactly should his appointees have done? Force people to vote a man that hasn’t done any good for them? What did Ayade himself do? For eight solid years, there is not a single FUNCTIONAL project in Cross River North and that’s the fault of Ayade’s aides?

    This man was expected to develop the place he comes from. Not to give people pittance in the name of food-on-the-table for eight years. Paying miscreants monies that civil service directors who have worked for decades don’t earn. He could have done that as a philanthropist and not bother to be Governor. He couldn’t do anything other than optics. Each time I kept writing that this governor is just snapping pictures of painted monuments and speaking big grammar, it is people from outside the North that keep saying I am exaggerating.

    But we have an enlightened voter population in Cross River North and the result of the elections is a genuine reflection of the feelings of the people. The losers can’t even allege rigging because they can’t provide evidence anywhere. They are the ones that tried to rig but were resisted.

    So people should stop begging the issue in trying to make it look like there was famine in Cross River North and if Ayade appointees had shared money on the streets for the voters, they would have retired Ayade to the Senate. That’s denigrating, demeaning and speaks very little to the educated and enlightened voters of Cross River North, who have expressed themselves in that historic election.

    If you chopped your own food-on-the table, and remained for your people and that helped to win your polling unit, kindly accept that the people of Northern Cross River weren’t waiting for such tokenism to mine their votes. They wanted development not carcasses. They got less and they bargained for more elsewhere. That fact should be accepted with due respect as the people have pleased to do. Put the blame where it is…

    Yours sincerely,
    Citizen Agba Jalingo.

  • To Be Holy, We Must Do Away With Mindsets That Pitch Us Against Our Fellow Human Beings Or Make Us Put Ourselves First In Every Situation In Life BY FR PETER OBELE ABUE

    To Be Holy, We Must Do Away With Mindsets That Pitch Us Against Our Fellow Human Beings Or Make Us Put Ourselves First In Every Situation In Life BY FR PETER OBELE ABUE

    BE HOLY

    Before the time of Jesus, to be holy meant to be “withdrawn” from others. The Jews were not allowed to enter the houses of non-Jews, eat with them or even shake hands with them. They would call others, “dogs” and treat them as such. Come to think of it, the only reason they behaved this way was to keep the laws and traditions of their ancestors, which set them apart as a privileged and higher class set of people.

    It seems that some people still have that mentality of holiness today, thinking of themselves as different or better or even more religious than others, simply because they keep the rules or belong to a particular group. The truth is that only God can determine who is holy. Now, put that alongside what Jesus himself says about holiness and realise that we human beings still have a hard time understanding what it means to be ‘holy’

    Jesus takes holiness a step further by coating it with both personal and social responsibilities. No more “eye for eye” or ‘tooth for tooth” treatments towards those who attempt to hurt us. Instead, he admonishes that we, “turn the other cheek.” No more simply “love your neighbour” but “love your enemy…” (read Mt. 5:38-48). Jesus does not mean we should take it literally and go turning ourselves into those who attack us or calling a feast for those who literally regard themselves as our mortal enemies. That’s not possible, humanly speaking.

    What Jesus means is that, to be Holy we must instead:
    1. Do away with mindsets that pitch us against our fellow human beings or make us put ourselves first in every situation in life.
    2. Avoid writing people off, simply because they do not fit into the mould we have created for them.
    3. Take advantage of any ugly situation and create good out of it. For example in this cashless economic situation in Nigeria, what are you doing to make life liveable to those around you by sharing your cash, food, drink or just anything that will make your neighbor feel relieved.

    Above all, Jesus says we must make more effort at upgrading ourselves before paying attention to others. Our personal sanctification prepares us towards loving other people more than we do ourselves and that is the first step of holiness.
    If we learn to respect our bodies, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, by avoiding abusive acts with our bodies, we are by that same token, training ourselves to respect other human beings in all ramifications (1 Cor. 3:16-23). Respecting our bodies entail curtailing or avoiding especially sexual acts that for the most part defile us and weaken our spiritual relationship with God. If we do not respect our bodies, we cannot appreciate others and totally commit ourselves to them in a mature, selfless and sacrificial manner.